Thrashers ownership in turmoil

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Estranged owner Steve Belkin has won a court battle which allows him to buy out the other owners, who had previously won the right to buy him out last year. The Atlanta Spirit group owns both the Hawks and Thrashers, along with Phillips Arena operations

The initial dispute was over the trade for Joe Johnson which sent a #1 pick and Boris Diaw to the Suns(not exactly a great deal for the Hawks). Belkin did not like the deal and attempted a power play against the other owners and initially lost in court.

He is not much of a hockey guy, so we will see if and how this affects the Thrashers with their offseason moves.

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[StevenintheATL]

If Belkin takes over, I'll never go to another Thrashers game until he is out. While it looks like he was correct about the Joe Johnson deal, he's pretty much made himself persona non grata among fans in Atlanta. I hope that the NHL or the NBA (whoever is the first league to have to approve him buying out the rest of Atlanta Spirit LLC) tells him no. I almost wish Ted Turner or even Arthur Blank would swoop in and buyout Belkin's stake in the ownership group.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Here is a link:

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/nba/060609/v060972.html